Steingraber said she cannot protect her children from harm or plan for their future without taking climate action. For her, engaging in climate activism is of the same importance as other safety precautions like vaccinations or paying attention to car seat recalls.
Ecologist Sandra Steingraber is scholar-in-residence at Ithaca College, and author of Living Downstream: An Ecologist’s Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment.
"The continued construction of fossil fuel infrastructure is killing our planet and her people. It is our civic duty to do all that we possibly can to stop this construction, which is unnecessary given known and present options for renewable energy."
-- Priscilla Lynch, a member of the Sugar Shack Alliance
On March 15, the Court held that the Natural Gas Act does not allow pipeline companies to leapfrog over state administrative procedures in order to expedite their projects. This is the first time a federal Circuit Court has interpreted the relevant language in the Natural Gas Act.
The $3.2 billion pipeline construction cost, cited frequently by the proponents, excludes other significant costs such as operations, maintenance, depreciation and return on equity, making the full cost $6.6 billion.
In his letter to the editor, Ken Stokem writes: “Opportunities and economics could reactivate the Northeast Direct natural gas pipelines or new fossil fuel pipelines through our neighborhoods.”
In their legal filing to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection the complaint of the Citizens alleges that “the proposed pipeline would permanently degrade and impair water uses and quality for waters located at the heart of [8,500 acres] of interconnected, valuable open space.”
The company has reneged on promises to compensate Sandisfield — population around 800 -- for wear and tear on roads and bridges, as well as $30,000 in legal fees.
Sheffield filmmaker Ben Hillman made the short video about the situation, called Down the Tubes, with support from activists Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben and Lawrence Lessig.
Kinder Morgan subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline has been in court since early spring to gain immediate access to clear 3.83 miles of state protected land in Otis State Forest.
The survey focuses on what brings young adults to the region and what drives them away, what young adults value, and what can be done to make the Berkshires more attractive.
"I’m on our Conservation Commission and we all feel strongly that this is going to have a really negative impact on a wonderful little community where people are there because they value the treasures we have here from an environmental point of view."
-- Judy Williams of Plainfield, attending the Kinder Morgan open house at Berkshire Community College
